The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders
by ShatteredAngelWings
Summary: (AH/AU) Being the new girl is hard. Getting on a rude guy's bad side is even worse.
1. Chapter 1

The Misadventure of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 1

New Girl Again

* * *

Chloe scrambled out of the car, hearing Milos call after her, "Have a good day, Miss Saunders!" She managed a half-assed smile before her sneaker caught on a crack in the concrete and down she went. Her phone slid across the pavement and her books scattered.

"Damn," she hissed as she scrabbled for her things. As she sat there, on her knees, inspecting her phone for cracks, she heard a voice say, "Who the hell put their—oh."

She turned and found a hulk of a boy standing behind her, his big, white sneakers stepping on the edge of her tote bag. His hair fell into his face, as though he were trying hide but his eyes cut through her, piercing, vibrant shards of green glass.

She opened her mouth, to apologize, but he cut her off. "Don't leave your mess in the middle of the goddamn sidewalk, moron," he spat and walked towards the school, uncaring that he kicked her bag and everything fell out again.

"H-hey!" she cried as the door swung behind him. Thunder clapped and she glanced up as the first drop hit her eyebrow. Hurriedly she tucked everything back into her bag, scooped up her phone as the downpour hit hard, soaking her to the bone within seconds.

Today was going to be horrible.

oOo

"Is this seat taken?"

Chloe looked up from her Algebra textbook to see a dark-haired boy with a smarmy smile. He was a football player, wearing the school's letterman jacket and jeans; his wavy, dark hair was slicked back like an eel.

He gave her a smile like the cat that devoured the canary as he sank into the seat. "What're you studying?" he breathed in her ear. Discreetly as she could, she scooted away, hands shaking.

"I'm Royce," the boy offered. Like it made any difference that he was ogling her unabashedly if she knew his name. "C-Chloe," she responded. _Did you really just stutter again? _

Royce gave her another smile, this one more of a leer than anything. Her skin prickled. "I-I should go," she stammered out; heart thumping when he stood abruptly and several heads whipped towards them.

She wanted to slip under the table and never come out but a quick glance at the clock told her she needed to get to music class. She gathered up her binder and textbooks and bid Royce a goodbye.

"I'll walk you," he offered. "N-no thanks." When she declined, his face went dark with anger and she scrambled back, fear taking over. She tripped and hit the ground, jarring her funny bone. Royce let out a loud laugh like she'd told him the funniest joke and fear shifted into high gear, turning into terror. His eyes pierced her, hot and violent, filled with hate and lust.

She got to her feet and took off out of the library, feet slapping the floor. _What was that guy's problem? He freaks me out. _She sprinted around the corner and had the prickling sensation that he was following her so she picked up pace and crashed headfirst into someone. The two of them fell to the floor and she lay there, trying not to cry, feeling very scared, very confused and in pain.

Her hip ached as she got to her knees and heard the guy she'd smacked into moan a growl. "I-I'm s-so sorry," she apologized, face warming as she took note of his muscular physique and nice butt. "I-I w-wasn't—"

"Will you shut up for two seconds?" snapped the deep rumble of a voice. Her face flashed hot as the guy sat up and turned, his eyes cutting through her. "What the fuck is your problem?" he growled, and his voice sent excited shivers up her spine.

He seemed to stare at her for a minute, eyes darting around, looking at her face. "What—"

A loud voice cut him off and Chloe's heart stuttered in beating. The boy from the library—Royce was it?—was walking _straight _towards her and panic filled up her chest, made it hard to breathe. Shakily, she tried to pack up her things and calm down but her eyes were filling with tears of terror and she couldn't stop them.

"Souza." The eel's voice was cold, angry. "Banks." The rude boy's tone was indifferent.

Chloe ducked her head down when Royce addressed her and instead stared at his expensive, chunky sneakers. "You left me so suddenly back there, Chloe," he laughed and she shook her head when he extended his hand down to her.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing with an ugly guy like him?"

She slapped his hand away. "I-I think y-you're the one w-who's ugly, R-Royce," she spat out, the tips of her ears burning when his smile turned sharp and violent as his stance grew rigid. "_Really?_" The tone of his voice sent her scuttling back but he grabbed her leg and leaned down, his face in hers. "Banks," came the other boy's growling voice.

She could feel the pulse beating wildly in wrists, in her ankles even, as Royce's tan, angry face swept close to hers. Her frightened, panic-stricken eyes met his as he whispered, so softly that she had to strain to hear it, "You're going to be mine, whether you want it—" He punctuated with a twist her foot, making her cry and try, weakly albeit, to kick him, "—_or not_."

"D-don't t-to-ouch me!" she whispered out, fear constricting her voice when he laughed mockingly at her and dropped her foot. "Watch out, she's a fighter. It's always fun to break the toughest ones."

Royce licked his lips and she dragged herself back, horrified. "Banks!" came the rude boy's sharp bark and his arm looped around Chloe, dragging her back.

She struggled to stand. "Look like the pup thinks he's found a girlfriend," laughed out a girl's voice. She found a copper-skinned girl with coppery braids slinking around the corner in high wedges. She jolted as dark eyes met her blue ones. "Rae?"

"Hello, Chloe," she sneered as Chloe dug her nails into her palms. "You know her?" the rude boy asked in her ear. Her head bobbed in a nod.

How could she ever forget the bitch who forced her to move schools and ruined her entire eighth grade year after her mom passed away?

"Oh yeah, we know each other," Rae snickered with a flirty smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 2

Calling All the Creeps

After the rude boy diffused the situation and the antagonistic duo left, he turned to her and glowered darkly. Chloe tried to think of something to say, something snarky, something cutting but only stuttered out an apology and a squeaky "thank you" as she collected things.

"Hey, bro," called a voice. A blonde boy wearing a basketball uniform jogged around the corner, red faced and sweaty, and sneakers squawking on the linoleum floor. Chloe ducked her head down and stood quickly, holding her bag to her chest.

"I told you pushing down girls isn't nice," laughed the basketball boy, a grin lighting up his attractive face. She managed a shitty grin that looked more like a grimace and turned to leave. "Hey, I didn't hear an introduction." Groaning inwardly, Chloe turned and gave a weak smile. "I-I'm C-Chloe," she said and nearly smacked herself in the face when the rude boy's glare became even darker and his face grew stormy at the sound of her stutter.

"Simon."

The blonde's hand was soft, like a young girl's and sweaty. "Sorry 'bout the indecency," he apologized as he saw her wipe her hand on her jean-clad hip. "My boyfriend Nate and I were practicing for the big game Friday." Nate sounded familiar. "Does he have bright red hair?" she asked shyly, praying, hoping it was her Nate from Buffalo. "Yeah." A grin spread across her face.

"He was my best friend before I moved here," she said excitedly. "He's constantly jabbering about a girl named Chloe," Simon moaned, jabbing an elbow into the massive boy's side. "Oh, and Mr. Grumpy Cat over here—"

"Chloe!"

She squealed as the red head scooped her up into his sweaty chest and swung her around. Her hair flew everywhere. "Nate," she laughed as he set her down and inspected her. "What happened?" he demanded, suddenly serious. "H-huh?" Her heart thumped in her chest as her mind flashed back to the encounter with Royce.

"You grew boobs!" Nate laughed and her face went hot viciously. "Shut up!" she yelled and punched him in the arm when Simon laughed too. She knew they were just playing but she still felt humiliated; her cheeks burned like wild fire and she wanted to kick someone. She turned and kicked Nate hard in the leg. He stopped laughing and gaped at her. "Damn, girl, you kick hard."

"Like a soccer player," Simon crowed. Chloe smiled weakly as someone shouldered passed her, nearly knocking her over. She stumbled. "Hey!" she shouted after the massive, retreating figure. He turned halfway, giving her lovely view of his sharp, angled profile. Damn. A curtain of black hair fell across the eye she saw. "Thank you." He grunted something she didn't catch and said, "Don't be such a dumbass," before he continued on his way.

"Why'd you thank him?" Simon asked, rubbing his shoulder with hers. "Oh, he helped me find the library," she said. "See you at home, DerBear!" Nate called. She was pretty sure her savior flipped him off.

"That's Derek for you," Nate sniffled and slung his arm around her. "So, Chloe, catch me up on the last year," he said, picking up her bag, Simon on her other side, leading her to the gym.

oOo

It was as she was walking to her English class that she let her mind drift back to Derek. Strong, solidly built but rude as hell, he was so different from the boys back home, boys like Simon and Nate, who smiled and laughed and never made her feel so inferior.

But then again boys didn't look like Derek Souza. Boys at home were muscular, sure, but they weren't massive like he was, didn't part crowds or get stares, didn't walk noiselessly like a predator. Sighing to herself, Chloe continued her long trek to her English class, staring down at her schedule.

_Room 203. Miss Talbot. English 9. _

With a little bit of difficulty and some very nice, helpful custodians, Chloe managed to locate her next class ten minutes before the bell rang. Sighing to herself, she stepped into the room and every nerve ending shot to hell.

Every hair stood on end. The room was full of kids, walking, talking, sitting on desks but all eyes were on her. She gulped. "Move," growled a voice behind her. Recognition spiked through her and she whipped around, eyes widening when she saw him.

Derek fucking Souza stood there, one arm looped through a strap on his backpack. His black sweatshirt stretched taut across his broad, muscular chest and the sleeves bunched at his elbows.

Anger followed the recognition. What the hell was this guy's fucking problem? "You," he grunted and she blinked, face heating up as she realized she'd spoken out loud. She opened her mouth, to make a retort, something snarky but her words froze and her brain shut down when he oh so calmly shouldered passed her and walked into the room.

_Maybe he's having a bad day, _she thought as she slid into an empty seat. Sneakily, she peeked up at him, watching him look for a seat. _Five minutes, DerBear, _she snickered to herself, watching the way he moved, a wolf prowling in a room full of clunky, uncoordinated sheep. Someone sat down behind her and she turned when she felt the foot kick her seat.

A blonde boy with stubble and overlong hair grinned at her and immediately she didn't like him. Not one bit. "Preying on the innocent again, Liam?" a voice asked in a sneer and Chloe looked up, finding a pretty, slim girl with a black pixie-cut sneering down at Liam.

The blonde chuckled darkly. "No ma'am, Miss Enright," he said, licking his lips as his grey eyes sparkled with mischief. "Just checking out the new meat. A bit young for Ramon but not me." He grinned at Chloe and she wanted to crawl under the desk, hide away from his disgusting leer.

"News flash, getting a scumbag like you isn't on every girl's list." A laugh bubbled up from Chloe's stomach and she stifled it by biting her lip, watching the banter. Enright's eyes were alive with hate and it was pure, unadulterated; Liam was sneering up at her, his hand patting a lump in his pocket.

Chloe's eyes widened as he reached into the pocket and pulled out…a cellphone. One of those flip phones. "I gotta jet," he said as he turned away and scooped up a black messenger bag. When he turned back, a lit cigarette peeked out from between his lips. His eyes glittered as he glared down at Chloe.

"Royce says hi," he cackled and swept out of the room. "I'm Tori," said the punk girl as she flopped down onto Chloe's desk. "C-Chloe."

"You just keep attracting all the creeps, don't you?" muttered a voice behind her and Tori's thin eyebrows rose. "And that is my brother, Derek," she said and Chloe turned, staring up at Derek's eyes.

He didn't look the least bit happy as he sank down into the seat next to her and Tori scampered off to sit next to a blonde cheerleader with the underside of her hair dyed blue.

_Oh hell, _Chloe thought as she turned to Derek and said, "Thank you." He grunted. "Your welcome, Chloe," she muttered, attempting to mimic his deep, rumbling voice. His snort sounded suspiciously like a laugh and he turned to her, holding her phone, waving it at her.

"Nice background," he said, a slight, very light, very subtle teasing tone in his voice. She grabbed her phone out of his hands and glared, quickly scrolling through everything.

A new contact had been added.

He'd put his number in her phone. She stared at him long and hard and said, "Give me your phone then." With a huff of annoyance, he pulled out an iPhone 5s and unlocked it. She typed in her number, adding herself as a contact.

Discreetly, she fixed his name from _Derek _in her phone to _DerBear. _Biting her lip, she tucked her phone into the pocket of her jeans and turned, pretending to pay attention to the lesson and not the massive, attractive man next to her.

At least that's what she told herself.


	3. Chapter 3

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 3

Friendship Isn't Magic

The first week crawled by agonizingly, with drama and math and trying to make new friends and avoid that sleaze bag Royce. "You know," said Rae, who'd purposefully picked a seat next to Chloe, "You must be something special for Royce to go after you." The smile on her lips was sad, almost, but mean.

Chloe started when Rae began to speak but relaxed, half-listening to the dark-skinned girl's chatter as she filled out equations and problems. "You aren't the first, you know," Rae sneered, flicking something off her large breasts.

Her eyes flickered down to Chloe's lack of breasts and snickered. The blonde's face heated as she set down her pencil and stood up. She wanted to say something, anything, but instead chose to turn in her paper to Mrs. Wang, a pretty, Chinese woman with a huge, pregnant belly, who smiled at everyone and hardly gave the class any real work, which, by all means, was fine by the students.

"How far along are you?" Chloe asked curiously, glancing at the taut fabric of the woman's shirt. "About eight months," Mrs. Wang said proudly, rubbing her belly. "Would you like to feel them kick?" asked the woman, smiling up at Chloe. Mystified, Chloe nodded and crouched down, placing a trembling hand on the belly.

Several minutes ticked by. Just as she was feeling a bit silly, there was a sharp bump; a flutter of movement, against her hand and her wide eyes met her teacher's beaming ones, although the older woman's features were scrunched in discomfort. "Too bad every time one of them decides to kick, it's pressing down on my bladder," she laughed.

"How many?" Chloe got to her feet and wiped off her jeans.

"Twins. I don't know the genders yet," purred Mrs. Wang, thoughtfully stroking her bulging stomach with a tender look only mothers wore. "I bet Mr. Wang is ecstatic," Chloe said. Mrs. Wang snorted a laugh. "He's ridiculous! He's too much of a worrywart. He thinks I shouldn't teach because of how far along I am but, I, being the stubborn woman I am, won't leave work until my water breaks."

Chloe smiled. "Well, congratulations. I hope you have healthy twins." Mrs. Wang's face glowed with her smile. "Thank you. Not many of the students like to think of their teachers with their spouses," muttered the pregnant woman, shaking her head. "I know that the faculty has a life outside of the classroom," Chloe said, "but I've had wrapped my brain around the fact for several years b-but it seems these kids don't t-think teachers h-have an actual life."

Mrs. Wang patted the back of Chloe's hand as the bell shrilled, making both of them jump. "Skittish as a kitten," Mrs. Wang teased as Chloe bid her farewell and began to collect her things. "Well, well," sneered a voice as Chloe stepped into the hallway.

She turned to find Liam behind her, an evil, malicious smile on his thin, chapped lips. She swallowed hard. _Damn it, _she thought as she noticed the emptying hallway. "H-Hello, L-Liam," she managed to squeak out as she edged backwards, never giving him her back.

The boy's smile never wavered; in fact, it grew in size, reminding her darkly of the Cheshire Cat's grin. "_Hello_, Chloe," he replied as he stepped closer with every step she took back. Her heart thumped in her chest as fear set in. The hallway was empty and she had no help.

"Hey!" barked out a man's voice. She closed her eyes in relief. "Get to class!" It was Coach Carson, his eyes trained on Chloe. Her face burning like hellfire, she scrabbled to her drama class and ignored the concerned looks she got.

"You okay?" Liz asked in her ear. Chloe shook her head. "L-L-Liam w-w-was hassling m-me in the hallway but Coach s-saw and t-told us to get to class," she choked out, inhaling the familiar scent of the auditorium. The smell of upholstery and aged pages chased away her fear.

Liz was painting something, working on a background piece for the upcoming musical of _Phantom of the Opera. _Chloe giggled softly. "_Hello, ladies_," purred a voice.

Chloe looked to find a blonde-haired boy with freckles leaning down, trying to look casual and cool but the goofy grin on his face did nothing to help his façade. "Brady, hi," Liz laughed as Brady's girlfriend, Amber, came up and squeezed his sides, causing the boy to scream in a manner similar to a character in a horror movie.

"Oh…my…god," he panted; his cheeks flushed as he gasped for breath, looking like an angry kitten. Chloe laughed despite herself and forgot about Liam and Royce and Derek.

Well, scratch the last one.

oOo

"Higher," instructed Miss Talbot, hitting a sharp note on the piano as Liz tried to hit the high note, using the air in her diaphragm. She was working on the solo audition piece from _wishing you were somehow here again_, practicing the high notes and lows, trying to hit them. Miss Talbot nodded, smiling.

"Very good," she said, laying her hands in her lap. "Now, you try." Her gray-haired head jerked towards Chloe, who sat with her head in her history textbook, flipping through the pages and scribbling down the answers she thought were best.

"W-what?" she squeaked as her blue eyes widened. Miss Talbot's smile grew. "Come, sing," she repeated, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. Chloe shook her head as she fumbled with her homework, hunkering down.

"I-I-I—"

"Don't be such a spoilsport!" Liz laughed and swung Chloe's beat up textbook out of her lap. "I-I-I—" "Come _on_," Tori said, sharply, her dark eyes twinkling slightly as she looked at the them over her new copy of Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. Chloe scowled. "I-I d-don't sing," she grumbled. "Maybe you can Christine—" Liz began breathlessly, a faraway look in her eyes as Chloe snorted.

"—And Derek could be Erik!" the cheerleader giggled as Chloe's face turned redder than a tomato. Tori smirked and closed her book. "I-I—I do-don't—" The tiny girl stammered, her face bright red.

"_Come on!_" Tori and Liz yanked her out of her seat and all but shoved her onto the mini-stage. She stumbled, ungracefully as Miss Talbot beamed, happy.

Mustering all her courage, Chloe sent her friends a dark glare that wouldn't have even scared a kitten, which made them burst into laughter. Her face flamed horribly. "I'm going to start," Miss Talbot announced and the piano started, slow and soft, gentle, like a lullaby.

The music washed over her, familiar.

_"Y-Y-You were once my_—This is ridiculous!" she cried, feeling the pinpricking of tears build up behind her eyes. Tori smiled encouragingly, which was odd because she rarely smiled. _Go on, _she mouthed. Chloe clenched her fists.

She began to sing, quietly, feeling the tension in her body hum, vibrate, and grow. She could feel everything, like it was in HD, every tiny hair on her arms, every goosebumps on her skin, every bead of moisture on her armpits.

When she ended, the room was silent and then a loud wolf whistle made her ears ring painfully. Smirking knowingly, Liam and Royce stuck their heads in and she felt dirty under their eyes, like they were undressing her.

Miss Talbot shot them angry looks until they left when she threatened to call security.

oOo

At the end of the day, she sat on the school steps, waiting for Milos, idly flipping through her texts from Kari and Beth, when a shadow fell across her. "It's nice to see you again, Chlo," said the owner of the shadow.

Chloe looked up and Rae's familiar, dark eyes met hers. "H-H-Hello, R-R—"

"Still haven't o-o-overcome t-t-that st-st-stu-utter?" she mocked with a laugh, pushing her hair away from her bare shoulders. In her pink tanktop and denim skirt, she looked like a model, the kind of girl that guys tripped over themselves to ask out, with lots of curves and lots of self-confidence. Her long limbs gleamed like bronze in the light.

Tan lines as light as vanilla pudding stood out of her shoulders.

"How _are _you?" Rae asked, reaching into her handbag to pull out a compact and fix her hair, which fell around her shoulders in copper braids. "Still living with your mom?"

An angry, hot ball of dread coiled in Chloe's stomach. "No. It's kind of hard when she's dead." Rae didn't even bat an eyelash. "It's hard, isn't it? Living with a crazy aunt and absentee daddy," Rae said flippantly, the bangle-bracelets on her arm clanking loudly as she rifled through her bag, looking for something.

It rang hollow in Chloe's ears.

"My boyfriend is picking me up," Rae continued, an air of arrogance making Chloe's stomach hurt. "Oh, there he is!" the copper-haired girl squealed and bounced towards the school, her skirt flashing bare skin.

Chloe turned. And stared and stared as Rae snuggled up in Royce's arms, a smirk on her face. Chloe bit down on her tongue to keep from stuttering when he sneered down at her and pushed forward an air of indifference, just like a certain hulk she knew.

"Hi, baby," Royce growled at Rae and then they proceeded to play tonsil hockey on the walk passed Chloe, Royce lightly kicking her hip. He gave her a dark smile, one that promised hurt in her future, and then they walked towards the parking lot, towards a grey-green Jeep.

She climbed into the passenger seat and he into the driver's side and they roared out. Chloe waited until they left to let the little sobs escape.

Rae always did know how to push her buttons, piss her off, and drag up old wounds and splash acid in them.

"Who the hell—oh." And just like that, her day went from bad to worse. Why, why, _why _did it _have _to be _Derek? _She wiped at her face and glowered at the empty parking spot as a flutter of movement caught her eye.

She turned her head.

"You seem to like being in places where people can step on you," he rumbled. "Shut up," she snapped as she yanked up her bag and everything came tumbling out. Notebooks and papers and her big, zip-up binder scattered across the ground. A little picture fluttered to the ground, right next to Derek's foot. As Chloe scrambled to cram things back into her bag, he crouched down and picked up the picture.

She knew what he saw: a young, happier Chloe with a sulking Rae, age eleven, at Chloe's birthday party, Jacinda (Rae's mom) standing next to Jennifer, grinning.

"Friendship isn't magic, huh?" he muttered and she got to her feet, zipping up her bag. She spun to glower up at him and snatched the picture out of his grasp.

"No," she whispered brokenly, noticing Milos staring at her from her car, "it isn't." She hoisted her backpack up and headed down the sidewalk.

It wasn't until she settled into the car and reassured Milos that yes, she was fine and no, that boy wasn't bothering her, he was helping her pick up her things, that she felt her phone vibrating.

_A new text message from DerBear _flashed across the lock screen. **Rae's a bitch, isn't she? **

She couldn't have found a better word and agreed more whole-heartedly.


	4. Chapter 4

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 4

Surrender all your cookies

"Remind me _again _why I'm taking home ec?" Chloe muttered to her partner, a nice boy named Peter. He was geeky, with curly tawny hair and big blue eyes and he was easy to talk to.

"I think everyone should learn to cook," he told her as they scooped out chocolate chip cookie batter onto the baking tray. "That way, when you're older, you won't get fat from fast food." She shook her head, her hair swinging in its ponytail. "That's my life goal," she joked.

He made a face as he loaded the cookies into the oven and they began to clean up their station. "How many?" Chloe glanced at him over her shoulder.

"Two dozen." Peter waggled the box at her. "Seriously? Who needs twenty four cookies?" she asked. "Derek would eat the entire thing if you let him." She shrieked in surprise and spun around; Nate was leaning against their table, his face speckled with flour.

"He would."

Simon hopped up on their table, grinning. "The way to his heart is through his stomach." She shot him a glare. "Why would I—"

"We're all waiting on bated breath to hear you confess your undying love to him," Peter said, straight faced. Chloe's cheeks burned. "I don't—" she began but the buzzer cut her off. She scrabbled forward and yanked open the door. The smell was slightly crispy.

"Alright," called Miss Talbot, an older woman in her mid-fifties. "Clean up now."

Peter told Chloe to take the cookies and even gave her a box to put them in, a see through tubaware container with a red lid and a bow. She swiped two for herself and nibbled on them as she eased the rest into the plastic container, trying not to burn herself.

Unfortunately, someone knocked into her just as she finished and the pan hit her wrist. She yelped and dropped it. "Chloe?"

"I-I-I—" she stuttered as Miss Talbot inspected the burn and ran it under cool water. "Do you want to go to the clinic?" the elderly woman asked. Chloe shook her head. "I-I-I'm f-fine."

Miss Talbot gave her a hard look as Chloe picked up her backpack and her cookies and scrambled out of the room like a moron. The hallway was a sea of kids jostling and pushing each other; someone screamed right next to her. A boy elbows her in the ribcage and she nearly face-planted into the floor when someone tripped her.

A hand gripped her arm and pulled her upright. "T-Thanks," she squeaked as she turned. Green eyes met hers. Derek. He let go of her arm and his hand dropped limply by his side. "Don't trip in the damn hallway."

He was sweaty and his cheeks were flushed; his jugular drummed against his skin with the rush of blood; she didn't see a gym bag anywhere. Was he sick?

"Here."

She handed him the cookies and he cocked an eyebrow. "W-we ma-made these in Home Ec b-b-but it's o-only me and my aunt a-a-and I can't eat all these and Simon said y-you liked chocolate chip c-cookies so I—" He held up a hand, cutting her off, and popped the lid.

"They smell good."

A smile broke out across her face. "Yeah," she muttered, biting her lip as he bit into a cookie. Chewed. His eyebrows rose. "They're good," he told her. Surprise laced his voice and she crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.

"Is that such a surprise?" she asked, feeling insulted. "Normally, Miss Talbot normally screws up the simplest stuff," he said. A bit of humiliation lifted. "And it comes out pretty nasty." His lip curled in disgust and she couldn't stop the laugh that burst out of her mouth.

"Chloe!"

It was Kari and Beth, standing at the end of the hallway. Kari was waving her arms like a road cop directing traffic and Chloe giggled.

"Weird," Derek muttered as he bit into another cookie—they were almost gone now—as she rolled her eyes and walked off. "Bye…DerBear."

oOo

After changing into her gym uniform, Chloe headed out of the locker room and yelped, ducking down to avoid a basketball to the face. Rae smirked. "Sorry," she sneered as she picked up the ball and trotted back.

Mr. Davidoff didn't say a word; instead, he watched Rae and her friends prance around, their gym shorts hiked up to their hips, shirts rolled up to their chests.

Chloe brushed a curl out of her face and headed for the bleachers, eyes trained on Derek's hulking form. He was one of those guys that went all out during gym and he was like a predator, all ferocity and no mercy. It was almost amusing.

She sat down and watched him, admiring the way his muscles moved, no, the way _he _moved, with a fluidity and grace, just like a wolf. His shirt was damp with sweat and it dripped down his face in rivulets; many of the girls squealed in mock-anger when he came too close to them but Chloe could hear them twittering about how "hot" he way.

She wouldn't deny that he was attractive, just not in an All American-Boy way; he was attractive in a dark, forbidden way. He was intimidating, to say the least, but she'd seen the looks that girls gave him when they passed in the hallway, heard the sighs that followed him down the hallway.

Sure, he had the most exotic eyes she'd ever seen but having really nice eyes didn't mean he was hot. On top of that, he was a total jerk to everyone…well, not everyone. He was polite to Simon and Liz and bickered with Tori, but he was never really mean to her.

Someone dropped down beside Chloe and several girls glowered at her. Looking up into his sweaty face, she could see why many of the girls wistfully stared after him.

He was handsome, sure, with his sharp nose and rough jaw line, his full lips, deep set eyes all arranged an in attractive manner. His hair was long, needing a trim, and fell around his face; nothing emo, just like he hadn't bothered to trim it. He was muscular, that much she could tell, especially from the size of his muscular forearms and neck.

"Chloe?"

She looked up at him then and she saw his molten glass eyes. "Hm?"

"Cookies."

He was looking down at her as he flopped onto the seat. "Cookies?" she repeated, confused. "That's your contact name in my phone. 'Cause you make great cookies. Just like how you've got _DerBear _in yours."

She laughed and he almost cracked a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 5

The Pseudo Prince

"A prince?" Kari asked excitedly, her nose ring flashing off the light. Chloe's cheeks warmed. "You guys make it sounds so—"

"Romantic?" Beth giggled, licking the yogurt off the lid of her container as she tried to keep her curly, dark hair out of it. The girls were sitting at lunch, talking about Chloe's dream about a prince on a horse. "—Dramatic," the blonde finished blandly, biting into her lettuce wrap thoughtfully. Listening to her friends' banter, she thought about Derek.

He still hated her, of course; every time they passed in the hallway, he'd give her this look of…something she couldn't name. It was like the playfulness had been sucked out of their conversations; everything was so snippy and short now when he spoke to her. She hated it with a passion; why couldn't he trust her as she trusted him? She may have trusted him with her life but that didn't mean he'd feel the same…

Chloe stared distantly ahead, focusing on the sea of faces. Porcelain-pale, peach, tan, dark like chocolate. Brown eyes, green eyes, blue eyes, grey. Curvy bodies, thin bodies, willowy. Short, tall, lean, chunky. A crowd of faces stared back at her. One face stuck out though.

A boy's face, with dangerous, dark eyes, swarthy black hair and a black leather jacket. He looked lethal and her heart leapt in her chest as his eyes met hers. Her cheeks flaming, she looked away to her lunch as her friends giggled and screamed across the table.

When she looked up, he was gone.

"Who was that?" she asked Kari as they headed for gym class. "Who? I don't see anyone," said the pink-haired girl, flipping her curls away from her freckled shoulder. "The guy—" Chloe began but cut herself off when she realized Kari would overreact over her seeing a mysterious guy.

"Oh, no one. I just thought I saw someone who looked familiar," the blonde said quickly and changed the subject to Beth's latest boy of affection.

oOo

Outside, the rain drowned out everything light. The clouds were a wet ashy color and poured down torrents of cold, unrelenting rain; what happened to the clear blue sky and warm breeze that she'd felt this morning on the walk inside?

Sighing, Chloe turned the page of her book and traced the letter with her fingertip distractedly. She saw someone standing outside, talking with someone. Curiosity winning over her logic, she set down her books and tiptoed out of the library. The exit was a few feet away and she quickly, quietly as she could, pressed it open when she got to it.

Heart thumping, she glanced over her shoulder. No one. Breathing a sigh of relief, she ducked into the alcove overlooking the bus lineup and peeked around the corner. It was the boy from earlier, the one from the cafeteria, talking with…Simon. A lit cigarette hung from the mystery boy's lips and smoke lingered, despite the rain. They were talking vividly about something and then the boy shrugged and stomped out his cigarette.

She inched closer to hear better but ended up slipping and nearly ruining her clothes with mud. Thank god for concrete, however unforgiving it may have been on one's hands and knees.

"You _know _he likes her," Simon was saying, waving his thin hands through the air, raking his fingers through his hair, an agitated look on his face. _Likes who? _Chloe wondered. "I haven't spoken a word to her and she's not in any of my classes," the mystery boy muttered. A scowl darkened the basketball player's face. "Tell your little buddies to back off," he hissed, pushing a finger into the dark-haired boy's chest.

"They won't listen. I keep telling them, 'Back off. Derek'll kick your asses if you mess with her,' but—" He pulled out another cigarette, lit it and took a deep, deep drag. On the exhale, he continued, "—they don't listen to little, old Ramon. They want her so they can hurt him." Derek. They were talking about Derek. Why?

"I never understood why Royce and Liam hate my brother so much," the basketball player said.

Rain soaked Chloe's hair and clothes and she shivered, despite the humid, hot weather. Tugging her damp t-shirt away from nonexistent breasts, she ducked out of sight as Ramon said, "Neither do I. Head inside. I'm gonna finish my smoke and then head back in." Chloe found there was nowhere to hide! She panicked.

Something warm shadowed over her and she glanced up. To her surprise, it was the smoking boy, casually shielding her from Simon's view yet he kept a tight grip on her wrist as Simon walked back into the building, shoes squeaking all the way down the hall. A lifetime passed before Ramon spoke, turning to face her slowly.

"I don't know how much you heard, princess, or how long you've been there but I do know one thing." He leaned down, spoke puffing out of his nostrils like a dragon, and met her eyes. There was something about this guy, despite obviously being dangerous, that made her gut seize up. "Anything you heard is not to be repeated. As far you're concerned, you never stepped out here and listened to us like Harriet the Spy," he said, nodding slowly.

"Right?" he breathed and, despite the cigarette, his breath was a wave of spearmint. Chloe quickly nodded. "Good." Ramon straightened and shrugged off his jacket. He reminded her of one of the boys from S.E. Hinton's _The Outsiders_, with his white v-neck tucked into his jeans, sticking to his skin, slick from rain, like he stepped out of a fantasy novel.

"Here." His look left no room for argument and she quickly tugged it on; it was three sizes too big on her and smelled like boy sweat and cigarette smoke. With a hand on the small of her back, he steered her back to the door but she doubled back and stood next to him, watching the rain.

"I'm Ramon."

"Chloe Saunders."


	6. Chapter 6

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 6

The Zachary Cain Massacre

"HE'S NOT THAT bad," Chloe muttered, wiping her index finger across the lid of her yogurt. Kari was pounding it into her brain that Ramon was nothing but trouble; he wasn't like Royce, with his leering looks and smart mouth or Rae, her sharp tongue and cutting words. He was polite, closed off and completely untouchable. Kind of like Derek Souza.

"I hear he's gay." Beth licked her fingers free of maple syrup. "I hear he's a serial killer." Kari waved a forkful of spaghetti at the blonde.

"So, he's a gay serial killer?" someone behind them said. Chloe whipped around her, her cheeks coloring viciously as Ramon stared down at them, arms crossed. His hair fell around his ears in choppy waves, growing out from his recent haircut. "I assure you and your friends, Chloe, I am most definitely not a serial killer."

"So you're gay?" Kari butted in, waving her plastic fork at him like it was a sword. He leveled his gaze at her. "No," he said coolly, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket. "So what are your intentions towards our baby?" demanded Beth sharply, towering above him a good few inches. She was 5'11 where as Ramon was only 5'8.

"_Intentions?_" he echoed with a look of distaste, two red splotches coloring his cheeks. "I have _no _intentions towards Chloe," he murmured quietly. Silence perforated the air before he continued sharply, "I am not Royce or Liam. I have a moral code and I stick to it." His jaw clenched and his lip jutted out. "Besides, I harbor no romantic feelings towards your little baby. This is completely and utterly _platonic_."

He turned and walked away, without a jerk of anger step, as flawlessly walking as he'd done earlier. Chloe relaxed. So he didn't like her; that was good. The last thing she needed was some Twilight crap.

Now, she turned back to her astonished friends and said, "What were you saying?"

oOo

English was Chloe's strong suit. Even though Derek sat next to her and all she could concentrate on was his sharp Axe and the way his hands looked, she always managed to get eighties to one hundreds.

"Today, class, I'm going to assign you partners for a project. It counts as fifty percent of your grade. The assignment is to write something about your partner, an alternate universe, a love story, whatever it may be," Miss Talbot explained, waving a stack of papers at them.

Chloe's skin prickled as she snuck a glance at Derek. His green eyes locked on hers and her face warmed as she sank lower in her seat. He let out a sound that suspiciously reminded her of a laugh.

"Liam and Michelle, Alex and Joseph…" The list went on until Chloe heard her name. "Chloe and Derek." Her face went hot as he raised an eyebrow at her while Miss Talbot continued listing off names. Leaning down to her, Derek whispered in Chloe's ear, way too softly to be appropriate, "I don't bite."

"Good. I don't need to get a rabies shot," she said without thinking. He snorted a laugh. Her cheeks burning, she looked away and glared at the back of Miss Talbot's head.

"Unless you have laser beams for eyes, Saunders, you should stop that," Derek said. "Would it kill you to use my first name? This isn't some fanfiction or hell, even Harry Potter," she snapped. He blinked at her slowly. "You know what fanfiction is?"

Refusing to answer that question, she turned her attention to the project rubric.

oOo

"Saunders," he said, catching her arm gently as he went to walk out the door. The hallway buzzed with activity, kids screaming and yelling, swearing, shoving each other playfully, girls clumped, boys mockingly rough housing.

Her face felt like it was on _fire_ as he spoke directly to her, his eyes never leaving her face. Derek fucking Souza was _talking _to her. Talking to _her_, a little miss nobody who everyone thought needed to be protected, shielded from the Big Bad World.

She stared at him, memorizing every feature, the slight tilt of his nose, the scar on his lip, the scab on his chin. Stubble lined his jaw and cheeks, maybe not even a day old; sweat dripped down his temples, barely even noticeable from a distance of three inches; his top lip looked redder and more swollen than his bottom one. He kept wiping his left hand on his leg, from his hip to just above his knee. A nervous tick?

"…we can meet on Saturday," he was saying when she tuned back in. "What?" she blurted out. Annoyance flashed across his face and she immediately regretted even opening her mouth. Cheeks burning, she tore her arm out of his grasp. "Ne-nevermind," she muttered and started down the hallway.

He watched her leave, Kari told Chloe as they walked to class, seeing as she'd had been watching the entire thing. When he noticed the people staring, he'd sneered and stormed away.

The metal of her pendant bit into her hand as she clenched and thought, _Mother, please preserve what little friendship I've extended to him. Help me not to screw up. _

oOo

"I have to go to my English partner's house on Saturday," Chloe sighed, resting her hand on her cheek as she put off her Geometry homework. Lauren Fellows, her aunt, looked up from making chicken casserole. "Who?" she asked.

"Some guy."

As soon as the words popped out, her aunt immediately went into Mama Bear mode and Chloe was regretting ever opening her mouth. "Who is this guy?" Lauren demanded, looking strikingly like lawyer. If Chloe squinted, she might've been able to see the resemblance between her and Jennifer, Chloe's deceased mom.

Just the thought of her mother sent a pang of pain through her chest.

"Some guy named Derek Souza." The dish clattered on the stove, dropped from shaking fingers. "Souza?" repeated the older woman shakily. Color drained from Lauren's face. "Yeah, why?" Chloe asked slowly, watching her aunt.

"I'll talk to Miss Talbot, see if I can get her to change your partner to someone else. I can't believe—" Lauren was ranting when Chloe said, loudly now, "What? No! You can't!"

"Like hell I can't! I won't stand for a _monster _like _him _in the same room as my innocent niece!" snapped Lauren, slamming down the dish. The sound made Chloe cringe back but she asked anyway, "What do you mean?"

Lauren leveled her stare. "Do you know who Zachary Cain is?" she murmured softly. Chloe shook her head.

"He killed over two hundred thirty people and claimed to haven eaten one hundred fifty, all girls ages ten to seventeen. On the night they went to arrest him, they found his entire family slaughtered, his wife brutally mutilated and hung outside their house for all the world to see, the children shot in their beds but want to know what they _didn't _find?" Lauren's face loomed. "His body. He was never found. They called it _The Zachary Cain Massacre._"

"What does that have to do with Derek?" demanded Chloe.

Her aunt shook her head slowly, wisps of red-brown hair escaping her ponytail. She looked more like her father. Jennifer took after their mom. "Derek Souza is Derek Cain, Zachary Cain's son. And he's already been in trouble several times with the law," Lauren said.

"What do you mean?"

Lauren sucked in a deep breath. "What I say is not to leave this room," she whispered, staring hard at her niece. Chloe felt chills crawl up her spine.

"He broke a teen's back in a fight, forcing him and his 'family'—" The sneer in her tone made Chloe bristle. "—to relocate. He's a menace and I will make sure _everyone _knows it." Her aunt turned away.

"He's not a menace," Chloe argued, "but you are." Lauren froze for a second, fumbling with the oven door. "Get out, now," her aunt said. Chloe slammed the chair hard enough to shatter it and stalked out of the house.

Derek Souza…Zachary Cain.

She needed to do some research. Still, she couldn't shake off the chills that slid into her and tiptoed through her veins as the shadowy night fell down like a veil and the monsters in her head danced and howled, taking over her imagination.

Was Derek really a serial killer's son?


	7. Chapter 7

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 7

Library Dates

_Zachary Cain's body __was never recovered from the ashes and he vanished without a trace; he is one of the most notorious serial killers in America, known through the entire world, just as Jack the Ripper. It's believed that he is to have born a son but no evidence has been found to support that rumor. _

Chloe rested her cheek in the upturned palm of her cheek, eyes moving, scanning without seeing. Every book, the untouched ones in the back of the library coated in layer upon layer of dust, she'd searched did nothing to damper her growing doubt. Every empty lead sent her heart plummeting.

_Derek's dad is _not _a serial killer; even if he _was, _Derek is still, and always will be, just Derek…right? _

She closed the book quietly and stacked it on top of the growing tower beside her, precariously perched beside her elbow as she picked up the next one, leather-bound with gold engravings. _The Life and Death of America's Most Dangerous Serial Killer and Other Conspiracies. _Her vision tunneled and blurred at the edges, like someone had set her eyes to the eighty percent Gaussian Blur in Adobe Illustrator; she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes slowly, counting the breaths it took for the red and yellow flashes behind her eyelids to fade away.

"What are you doing?" spat an unmistakable voice. She opened her eyes as someone yanked her chair back down onto four legs, making her teeth click. Chloe twisted around and her voice seemed to have left her. Derek Souza stood beside her, backpack hanging off one giant shoulder, looking positively unearthly in his dark clothes. His eyes narrowed at her as a tic in his jaw quivered.

"_The Life and Death of America's Most Dangerous Serial Killer and Other Conspiracies?_" Something dark crept into his voice and a cold feeling crawled up her spine, every hair on her arms rising to attention. She looked at him, quietly, noticing the way his eyes kept staring, unseeingly, at the cover of her book, his hands clenching and unclenching, nervous—upset?

"What is _this_ for? How To Become a Teenage Serial Killer?" he sneered but his voice wavered at the end a tiny bit.

"F-for pe-ersonal reasons," she managed to choke out, standing up. The chair teetered but neither of them moved to catch it as it fell backwards, hitting the floor hard. The sound seemed to shake him out of whatever was wrong and his nostrils flared.

"You're even crazier than I thought, Saunders," he said slowly, mockingly. A spike of anger staked through her as she collected her tower of books and headed for the check-out desk, ignoring him as he trailed behind her.

The librarian's fingers flipped through the pages and scanned the codes in faster than Chloe thought was humanely possible. "Serial Killers of America?" the librarian said, his face full of suspicion. _He thinks you're crazy. _"I-it's a pe-personal proj-ject," she muttered, scraping off the peeling bits of nail polish from her growing nails as she hurried away, her face burning. _Derek probably thinks you are too, _a little voice said.

"I'm not crazy," she grumbled aloud, and then froze, her cheeks burning as a few heads turned to her. Wanting nothing more to leave, she turned away and hoisted her backpack up on her shoulders and headed for the door. A huge body blocked her. A quick glance told her it was her English partner.

"We still have to me—" he was saying.

"I-I tho-ought we were Saturday," she interrupted, avoiding his intense green eyes. "I cant. Something came up." He shifted slightly and wouldn't meet her eyes. "I don't care what you want to write about me," he said suddenly, "as long as it isn't a damn Twilight fanfic."

She bit her lip to smother the laughter that bubbled. "What about paranormal?" she asked.

"Like what?"

He was leaning against the wall now, looking cold and collected but a little shaky. His pulse drummed against his neck. "A werewolf," she blurted and her cheeks warmed when he rumbled something. _He's _laughing, she realized with a jolt. _At me._ _He's laughing _at _me. _

Her face on fire with embarrassment and humiliation, Chloe shoved passed him with all her might and slammed open the door, breathing in the dingy air from the neighboring cafeteria. "Saunders," he barked and she forced herself to keep going, even as she heard the thundering footfalls behind her. That was something she'd noticed. When he was upset, he walked heavy, like every bit of huge man he was; when he wasn't, he walked as stealthily as a cat creeping on prey.

Him the cat; her the prey. She felt dizzy and a churning rose in her belly when a hand fastened firmly around her wrist, stopping her dead in her tracks. "_What_?" she spat with way more venom than she meant to. Something in his eyes hardened and for a second, she could've sworn she could see the killer in his eyes, a replica of the haunting look in Zachary Cain's eyes from the books.

"I wasn't—Me? A _werewolf?_" he sputtered as she yanked her arm out of his grasp and cradled it protectively, inspecting it, only seeing a slight impression from the scrunchie she was wearing on her wrist. His face darkened in a flash when he saw her looking at her arm, like she'd expected him to hurt her.

She wasn't really fragile; but, to be completely fair, Derek outweighed her by about two hundred pounds and several feet packed with attractive muscles. "I-I di-didn't think you'd h-hu-urt me," she blurted. His eyes narrowed even more.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're really strong, aren't you? You outwe-eigh me by about two hundred pounds, but you aren't fat; you're r-r-really muscular. I'm just saying a girl who barely weighs one hundred pounds soaking wet and isn't even five feet is easily hurt by someone as huge as you."

He blinked down at her.

"Was that an innuendo?" he asked. Her face burned. "Oh my god, no!" she shrieked in mortification. Silence stretched out between them.

"Here. It's got my address on it. We're doing it Friday afternoon at 5." He shoved something at her and she reached out to catch it, instead winging up tripping and smacking herself on his chest. His rough, massive hands steadied her.

"Oh…god…I ran into a brick wall," she groaned as she stumbled back dazedly, watching the pretty birds twirled around her head. He did the weirdest thing then.

He laughed. A lovely, dark, rich sound, like dark bells.

And dear God help her, she fell even more for him.


	8. Chapter 8

The Misadventures of Chloe Saunders

Chapter 8

The Red Stripes

"It was Tori's idea," she moaned as she buried her face in her hands. Simon sucked in his top lip as he studied her hair, examing the red pieces she'd decided to dye that weekend. On Friday, Tori had driven Chloe home and promptly slept over; however, during the night, she'd convinced Chloe to put red streaks in her hair. Her aunt flipped this morning.

"It'll really pop," Tori had said, handing her the tube. "It'll make you look older and then Derek can date you without feeling like a pedophile," Tori had said. Somehow, she knew about Chloe's crush and didn't really care, so long as she didn't walk in on any handsy make out sessions. "'It'll be fun,' she said," Simon said in a high, girly voice that made Chloe giggle and wipe away her tears.

The red had come out very bright and Chloe thought she looked like a candy cane.

"A stripper candy cane," Nate giggled under his breath and she promptly kicked him in his shin as hard as she could. It was funny how your best friend can make you resort to violence like you're a third grader all over again.

"It's not bad," Liz told her, looking very sincere as she handed Chloe a fine-toothed comb. "Like you can say that, you look at least nineteen with boobs! Like, _actual _boobs," Chloe grumbled as she combed out her hair. All day she'd been getting stares and _not _the friendly kind.

_Especially _from that dirt bag, Royce. He'd been eyeing her up and down like she was a piece of damn candy and all she wanted to do was fucking knock his teeth out. See who'd smirk now. She was interrupted from her morbid daydream by an all-too-familiar voice. "Damn it, Tori," sighed the deep, rumbling voice. _Derek._

The blonde glared down at her clenched fists, wrapping in her black sweater, to avoid looking at him.

"It came out _great_," Tori said in surprise, hopping up on a table. "I as worried with your hair being so thin that it might not come out nice," she continued conversationally, crossing her legs. She looked like a dark goddess in her knee-length black skirt and big, monster boots and lacey top that showed off her smooth breastbone; her shoulder-length spiky hair was a wild mess around her face but styled artfully, like she _wanted _to look wild and predatory.

"It really does," Derek said to Chloe quietly as he sat down next to her. Every inch of her brain was flood with the mere _presence _of her crush. He was dressed in a black hoodie and even darker jeans, looking like a ruffled teenage Hades, with his overlong hair pulled back into a bun and his bangs in his green, green eyes.

"It d-do-does?" she said hesitantly, looking up at him from under her lashes. "Yeah," he told her, nodding and then he reached up with a massive hand and twirled a piece around his finger, staring at her face. No, not her _face_, her fucking _mouth. _A panicky heat crashed over her as he stopped twirling her hair and just sat there, his intense eyes sucking the backbone out of her.

"I-I sh-should get to cl-class," she managed to squeak and he shook himself, like he was fighting some inner urge. _Like he'd _ever _look at you like _that_, _she thought darkly as she gathered her books and backpack and headed down the main hallway. It took her a second to realize she had to walk down the library hallway by herself and that was where Royce normally prowled.

"I'll walk you, Chloe," Derek offered in a tone that meant no arguing and she felt him brush her arm, gently. A wave of relief pushed away the embarrassment and flustered feeling as they walked in silence, her mind whirring with a million things she could say—_Hey, I like what you did with your hair. Nice weather we're having, aren't we? My, what lovely eyes you have. Hey, I just met you, and this crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe. Really, Chloe? _Really? _You're a complete _idiot. _You just thought of _that _song?_—but settled for nothing instead, counting her footsteps in a loud, screaming voice to drown out her battling voices.

"Chloe?" He had his shoulders hunched, slouched as they headed right, down a long, crowded hallway. He was so tall, she had to crane her head back to look at him. He was staring straight ahead, like he wasn't talking to her.

A group of popular girls grinned at her hair and one, a pretty Asian girl with a My Little Pony backpack, said she liked it. She sounded sincere and Chloe smiled. The girl smiled back, revealing a mouthful braces.

"Are you still coming over?" he asked. "'Casue I know what people say about me and I could ask Miss Talbot to change—"

"No!" Chloe blurted and stumbled into the vending machine. Heads turned, watched her blink away the stars, and look impish. "I m-meant, I-I re-really—" She took a deep breath and clenched her hands into fists. "I don't give a shit about what people say about you."

"Yet you were the one looking up about Zachary Cain," Derek said in a dark voice. "Even if he _was_ your dad, you'll s-st-still be Derek." His face, which had been stormy until then, softened a tiny bit and he pinched his mouth to the side. "Okay," he said and that was that.

They walked in silence as they neared her homeroom. Kids looked at them, eyes wide, but no one spoke a word. "Derek," Chloe said, "About the project, what if I wrote something else? Paranormal, still, but what if it was from your point of view?"

"And what would you be, Chloe? Maybe a necromancer." There was a trace of a smile on his mouth as he mocked gently, teasing. She snorted. "I'd piss myself at the first sight of an actual zombie," she said without thinking.

He looked at her and smiled, a real, honest-to-Circe smile. And she was in way deeper than she thought as he let out a snort of his own and shrugged a shoulder.

"I'll figure something out, Chloe." He turned and walked away and, as she sat down in her chair and waited for class to start and the teacher to show (he was always so late), that she realized it with a grin she couldn't hide from Nate or Simon.

He called her _Chloe. _


End file.
